Consumer satellite digital audio radio service providers include, in the United States of America (U.S.), XM Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. The XM Radio and Sirius digital radio broadcast systems utilize different radio spectrum allocations. Specifically, XM Radio utilizes the 2,332.5 to 2,345 MHz range and Sirius utilizes the 2,320 to 2,332.5 MHz range. Further, the configuration of broadcast satellites and ground repeating stations, as well as the data encoding of signals, differs between the two services. There are two types of receiver units used by consumers. Dedicated receiver units are only capable of receiving, in the U.S., one of the two services and were introduced first. Interoperable receiver units are capable of receiving broadcasts of either of the two services. In the U.S., the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has mandated that the interoperability of receivers between the XM Radio and Sirius systems be adopted as a standard. The concept and implementation of dedicated and interoperable satellite radio receiver units can also be generalized for any jurisdiction or area in which at least two satellite radio service providers operate.
XM Radio and Sirius each provide a subscription-based service whereby subscribers receive a package of various channels and broadcasts (shows). Although some content may overlap between XM Radio and Sirius, each is characterized by content that is exclusively available from its satellite radio subscription service with respect to U.S. satellite radio broadcasting. For example, the syndicated radio show “Coast to Coast AM” is only satellite broadcast to subscribers of XM Radio. Similarly, it has been reported that “The Howard Stem Radio Program” will be exclusively available to subscribers of the Sirius service. The total audience for each of these programs numbers in the millions.